Rail joint



F. E. HUSS AND W. W. MOMSEN.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29,1922.

1,427,739. Y PatentedAug. 29, 1922.

IN VENTO/ES Frank 5 #055 4 Wafir/f/Vam ea.

same.

UNrrso stares FRANK E. HUSS AND WALTER W. MOMSEN, OF BELLEVILLE,

PATENT OFFICE.

ILLINOIS.

RAIL JOINT.

- Applieationfiled May 29,

have invented a certain new and useful Improven'ient in Raildoints, ofwhich the followin 1s a full clear and exact descri tion b i 7 v7 L 7such as will enable others skilled in the-art to which it appertains tomake and use the This invention relates to rail joints, and has for itsobject to provide an efficientrai joint of simple design that is easy toinstall and of such construction that it will securely hold two abuttingrails in longitudinal alignment with each other and prevent the endportions of said rails from moving vertically relatively to each otherand relatively to the joint when a load passes over the joint.

1*.igure l is a side elevation al view of our improved rail joint,showing the removable member of the joint partly broken away.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of said joint; and

Figure 3 is a side elevational view, showing the stationary railengagingmember of the joint that extends longitudinally at one side ofthe rails.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of ourinvention, A designates a horizontally-disposed base plate that isadapted to support two abutting rails 50, B designates a stationary railengaging member integrally connected to said base plate and arrangedlongitudinally at one side of the rails, and C designates a removablerail engaging member detachably connected to the base plate A andarranged longitudinally at the opposite side of the rails The stationaryrail engaging member 13 is provided with a verticallydisposed web 1, arail flange engaging portion 2 at the lower edge of said web that lapsover and bears against the top faces of the base flanges of the railsand a rail head engagin portion 3 at the upper edge of said web thatbears against the underside of the heads of the rails, as shown inFigure 2, said rail flange engaging portion 2 being integrally connectedat its outer edge to the base plate A. The removable rail engagingmember C is similar in general design to the stationary rail. engagingmember B and comprises a vertical web 1*, a rail flange Specification ofhetters Patent. Patentedl A 29 1922;

1922. Serial No. 564,437.

engaging portion 2 said web and-a rail 3 at the upper edge of said web.The top faces of the portions 3 and 3? that bear against the undersideof the heads of the rails are so formedthat they bear, against said railheads at points some distance away from the webs of the rails, as shownin .lfigure 2, when the joint is first installed, thereby permitting thewear on the rail engaging members 13 and C and on the rails to be takentightening the nuts on the bolts of the joint so as to draw the membersB and Ginwardly towards the webs of the rails. In the formv or recesseshaving an inclined wall 5 that laps over an outwardly-projecting portionof the hook-shaped devices so as to prevent the member C from movingupwardly relatively to the base plate. The devices 4 are so proportionedthat they .do not project downwardly below the base plate A, andconsequently, in installing the joint it is not necessary tc space theties in any particular relation or cut or notch out the top faces of theties, due, of course, to the fact that the underside of the joint isflat and free of downward projections throughout its entire area.Moreover, as the devices 4 have laterally-projecting portions providedwith inclined top faces that bear against inclined surfaces 5 on thebase plate, the operation of tightening the joint bolt nuts causes thedevices 4 on the member C to rock upwardly in such a way that they exertpressure on the base plate A in a direction tending to force it tightlyagainst the underside of the base flanges of the rails.

To install the joint, the rails m are arranged in longitudinal alignmentwith each other on the base plate A in such a manner that the portion 2of the member B will bear against the'top faces of the base flanges ofthe rails and the portion 3 of said member will bear against theunderside of the heads of the rails. The removable rail engaging atthelower edge of head engaging portion the bottom face of up orcompensated for by i z to provide for the'longitudinal expansion andcontraction of the rails;

The holes 6 in the web of thestationary rail engaging memberB thatreceive the bolts Gare preferably of such form that they willco-operatewith lugs or ribs 6 onthe shanks ofthe bolts," as shown in Figures 2 and3, to prevent said bolts from turning when the nuts on'the bolts aretightened.

A frail joint of'the construction above described is inexpenslve tomanufacture, as it consists 'simplyof two rugged castings; it

is easy to install and it will securely hold two rails in longitudinalalignment with each other and'prevent the end portions of the rails frommoving vertically relatively to each other or relatively to the joint,due

to the fact that the rails are supported oint rigidly by thebase plateand are heldsecurely throughout the entire length of said base plate'bytwo rail engaging members that are clamped snugly betweenthe basefi'ang'es and the heads of the rails and which are combined with ,thebase plate in such a manner that they cannot movevertically relativelyto the base plate. Whenthe is first installed the rail engaging membersB andC stand in the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2,butafter holes in the webs of the joint has been in use for some time, the

nuts on the bolts 6 are tightened so as to draw the members B and Cinwardly into the position shown in full lines in Figure 2, so as totake up the Wear on the co-operatin surfaces on the rails and on themembers d and C of the joint.

'Having' thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

A rail joint, comprising a stationary member providedwith a base "platehaving an integral rail engaging member at one side of the rails, aremovable rail engaging member at the opposite side of the rails,

portions on said rail engaging members bearing against the underside ofthe heads of the rails and so formed that they are adapted to be'drawninwardly towards the webs of the rails to compensate for wear on saidportions and rail heads, depending devices on said removable railengaging member projecting downwardly into holes in the base plate andterminating flush with the underside of the base plate,laterallyprojecting portions on said devices having inclined top facesthat bear against co-operating inclined faces on said base plate, andmeans for drawing said rail engaging members inwardly towards the websof the rails soas to compensate for the wear on the rail head engagingportions of same and to cause the depending devices on the removablerail engaging member "to exert upward pressure on the base plate in adirection tending to hold it tightly a ainst the'underside 0 the baseflanges of the rails.

FRANK E. HUSS. warren W. MQMNSEN.

